Home to Sparrow Lake (Harlequin Heartwarming)

by Lynn Patrick

  Alex feared Kristen wasn’t going to like him again, either. And just after he’d won her over. Well, at least a little. Connecting with her yesterday while delivering those meals had been the best time he’d had since moving to Sparrow Lake.

  Alex thought over his options.

  He could pick up Brian and his buddies and try to scare them straight, but that wasn’t a long-term solution. Once they got over being chastised, they might just get sneakier. He needed to get to the people who had influence over them, to figure out what was missing or wrong in their lives, and then maybe he could make a difference.

  As to involving Kristen…

  She couldn’t have had many dealings with her brother for years, not with her in Chicago and him in California. Still, she was his sister, and family had power. Brian needed some guidance before he crossed a line, and Alex decided that was more important than his own personal life.

  No matter the outcome for him, he had to involve Brian’s sister, because it was the right thing to do.

  He could only hope that Kristen would be reasonable and work with him to find a way to divert her brother’s negative energies toward something good.

  *

  “ARE YOU SURE you want to paint the front door such a bright color?” Kristen asked as she looked down into the paint can.

  “Absolutely,” Margaret said. She stooped to stir the paint and eyed Kristen’s navy pants and white T-shirt. Not a speck of vivid color on her. Her niece was too conservative for her own good. “This will make the entryway pop.”

  Kristen raised her eyebrows. “A chartreuse front door. Okay.”

  Margaret laughed and dipped her paintbrush into the can. “It’s spring green, not chartreuse, and it’s a happy color. Lighten up, Kristen. Expand your vision of our world.” She loved that her niece had volunteered to help, but she wished the creative gene hadn’t passed Kristen by. “I’ve never wanted to be like everyone else, and I’ve been unhappy with this white door for a dozen years now, ever since I married Donald and moved into his place. He told me to paint it whatever color I wanted, but I never did. It’s about time I’m finally doing something about it.”

  Margaret brushed color onto one part of the panel and admired the bright yellow-green, similar to the capris and flowing shirt she wore.

  “I’m surprised you waited this long, Aunt Margaret.”

  As if reluctant to be part of this, Kristen carefully dipped her own brush into the paint and started working on the trim.

  “Donald was as conservative as you are, sweetheart,” Margaret said. “This was his house long before we married, so I kept things the way he was used to. I had my studio and my art. He had the beautiful home he’d always wanted. We were both happy compromising. After he died, I thought to make some changes, but I kept myself so busy I didn’t have time to take pleasure in the little things.”

  “Hmm. You’re saying I’m like your late husband, but Alex thinks I’m like you. The keeping-busy-every-minute-of-the-day part, anyway.”

  Heather had told Margaret about Alex arresting her sister for jaywalking yesterday. But for some reason Kristen didn’t sound angry or defensive when talking about the man.

  “So now it’s Alex, is it?” Margaret mused.

  “That is his name.”

  Kristen didn’t look at her, kept her gaze on her paintbrush as if mesmerized. Margaret smiled. The charming police chief had undoubtedly gotten to her niece. Very, very good in the scheme of things. The more Kristen had to like about living in Sparrow Lake, the less reason she would have to go back to Chicago.

  “So, Kristen, when are you seeing Alex again?”

  Her niece gave her a look that was probably meant to show she was annoyed, but informed Margaret that Kristen wasn’t so sure of herself.

  “I’m not seeing Alex. Well, unless I jaywalk again, and he happens to be around, I guess.”

  “I heard about that and about your delivering meals to seniors instead of paying the fine. Why didn’t you just pay? It was only a dollar.”

  Kristen shrugged and kept painting. “Alex rubs me the wrong way. He got my back up.”

  Delighted, Margaret dipped her brush again and attacked the door with renewed enthusiasm. She hadn’t planned on Alex. He was simply a bonus.

  She and Kristen worked together in harmony. Despite her niece’s own preferences, Margaret made a big deal about the entryway now looking perfect. They’d just finished when she heard a vehicle pull up to the curb and turned to see a familiar patrol car.

  And couldn’t help the smile that blossomed in response.

  “Oh, look at who’s here,” she said as Alex left the vehicle. “The police chief himself.” She couldn’t help teasing her niece. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything illegal this morning?”

  “What?” Stooping to put the lid back on the paint can, Kristen glanced over her shoulder and lost her balance. Luckily she caught herself, but not before getting chartreuse paint on her hand. “Great.” After wiping her hand with a paper towel, she shoved the hair out of her face and stood.

  To Margaret’s amusement, Kristen was finally wearing some vivid color where she’d touched her cheek.

  “Ladies, good afternoon,” Alex said, giving Kristen a penetrating look.

  Kristen narrowed her gaze on him. “You’re not here to arrest me again, are you?”

  “Uh, no. I was just driving by and decided to be neighborly.”

  “Oh, how nice,” Margaret said. “Kristen, why don’t you offer Alex a cup of coffee.”

  Kristen frowned at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I don’t, either,” Alex said. “But I wouldn’t mind your taking a ride with me. I want to show you something.”

  “A ride?” Kristen echoed.

  “You know, sitting in the passenger seat of my squad for a while.” His brows arched. “You must be familiar with the concept.”

  Tension seemed to zap back and forth between her niece and Alex. Margaret busied herself cleaning up.

  “C’mon, take some time off,” Alex said. “You don’t have to be ‘on’ every minute.”

  “He’s right, Kristen,” Margaret said. “You should go.”

  “But Aunt Margaret, I cleared my calendar to help you paint today.”

  “And you did a great job. Didn’t she, Alex?” Margaret indicated the brilliant-hued entryway.

  He nodded. “Very, um, colorful.”

  “See,” Kristen croaked. “Aunt Margaret needs me.”

  “Actually, I don’t, sweetheart. We’re through for now. So there’s nothing keeping you from going and having a nice time with Alex.” When Kristen stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, Margaret leaned over and whispered in her ear. “It’s good for business to be friendly with the local authorities. Please go for me.”

  Kristen heaved a sigh. “I suppose I could go.”

  Alex indicated she should lead the way to the patrol car.

  Margaret didn’t miss the way he swept his gaze over her niece, or the way he insisted on rubbing his thumb over her cheek to rid her of that little smear of paint before opening the car door for her.

  Watching them drive off, Margaret hummed happily to herself as she gathered the paint can and brushes and took them around back to the garage.

  *

  “SO WHAT IS this all about?” Kristen asked, suspicious of Alex’s motives. At least he hadn’t handcuffed her to get her in the car. Still, she was certain Alex had an angle. She simply couldn’t figure out what it was. “Why ask me out for a drive?”

  “I wanted to show you something and talk to you about an important matter.”

  She’d been forced into this outing by Aunt Margaret, Kristen thought. Her instincts had been to stay as far away from Alex Novak as she could. She didn’t need to complicate her life, and she figured that’s exactly what Alex would do to it if she let him get to her. Something that could definitely happen.

  Though he was driving the patrol car, he w
asn’t in uniform today. He was even more handsome wearing charcoal-gray trousers and a lighter shirt of the same gray as the eyes that fed her nerves when he glanced at her.

  “What exactly are you doing for your aunt at Sew Fine?” Alex asked.

  “She wants me to find ways to increase traffic and sales in the store. For one, there aren’t any brochures, something I just started working on. Then they can be distributed to whomever will display them either here or in surrounding towns.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I take it this is your area of expertise.”

  Alex’s interest in her work relaxed Kristen a bit. “I was head of marketing for Chicago Lifestyle, a sporting goods company, for more than a year.”

  “But you left that job in Chicago to work for your aunt?”

  “I didn’t leave it.” She tried not to sound bitter. “I was downsized.”

  “That’s happened to a lot of people. Sorry.”

  “Yeah, me, too. I worked very hard to get my MBA and to build my career. I was on a fast track for a couple of years. Great job, beautiful condo with a lake view. There simply was no fighting the reality of a depressed economy.”

  “So you lost your job. The condo, too?”

  She nodded. “Among other things. I never thought I would be a failure.” She wasn’t going to tell Alex about Jason, though, about how he’d been more annoyed by her troubles than supportive. “I couldn’t find another open position that paid anything close to what I’d been making. And I couldn’t get a full-time job at lower pay, because the people hiring were afraid I would leave at the first opportunity.”

  “Probably you would have.”

  “Probably. And there was a prevalent attitude at the time. Too many employers wouldn’t hire people who didn’t already have jobs.”

  “That’s crazy!”

  “But a reality. It has always been easier to get a job when you already have one, but this market took the problem to new heights. I had to settle for a series of part-time jobs just to limp along. I’m very grateful to Aunt Margaret for offering me both a break from my situation and a challenge that lets me keep my hand in, working to grow a business. I needed a break from all the stress so I could create a strategy. And this way, when I apply for a new job, I’m no longer unemployed.”

  “You’re ambitious and intelligent,” Alex said, voice filled with admiration. “You’ll figure out what you really want from life and get it before you know it. Things can turn around for you on a dime.”

  “Thanks. I hope you’re correct.”

  Alex was being surprisingly sympathetic, which made her feel connected with him. Kristen was getting the idea that, after their rocky start, Alex actually liked her. She had to admit she liked him more than made her comfortable.

  “Starting over can be difficult.” Alex slowed the squad car. “I respect that you’re determined to rebuild your life. Not everyone does that in a positive way.”

  An odd thing to say, Kristen thought. “What do you mean?”

  “Some people react to change negatively, do things that aren’t smart. Sometimes they even do things that aren’t legal.”

  He pulled the car over to the curb and put it in Park. The way he was looking at her made her uncomfortable.

  “Someone you know?” she asked.

  “No, Kristen, someone you know.” His voice caught for a second like he was reluctant to finish. Then he said, “Your brother.”

  “Brian? He’s just a kid starting out in life. He’s a little immature, but he’ll grow up fast enough after he starts college at the end of summer.”

  “If he doesn’t do something to ruin his chances first. Do you know his friends?”

  Disturbed by the turn the conversation had taken, Kristen said, “I think Brian hangs out with some kids he used to know before moving to California.”

  He nodded. “Andy Eccles and Matt Stapleton. They’re not bad kids, but they do get into trouble, and lately they’ve been close to crossing the line.”

  “What does that have to do with Brian?”

  “He’s been close to crossing it with them.”

  “I don’t believe Brian has been doing anything wrong.”

  “Has he been acting strange lately? Disappearing for hours without an explanation? Going out late at night—after curfew—without telling anyone?”

  Kristen stiffened. So that’s why he’d wanted to get her alone. She’d known he had an angle, and it was one she didn’t like.

  “Wait a minute. This is why you asked me out for a drive? So you could make accusations about Brian?”

  “So I could talk to you about your brother before I have to arrest him. I spotted the three boys on the street at one this morning right here.”

  “In front of the Grants’ place?”

  “Right. I asked them to stop so I could talk to them. They ran instead.”

  “They probably weren’t doing anything wrong.”

  “Take a good look. Does anything look strange to you?”

  Frowning, she looked out the house with its myriad lawn ornaments. Mrs. Grant had always loved placing statues of animals all over her yard. “Looks okay to me.”

  “Except the lawn ornaments are all moved around. Mrs. Grant was very upset when she called it in this morning.”

  “What?” She nearly choked on that. “You’re all bent out of shape over a harmless prank?”

  “Not one prank. They’ve been playing pranks on the townspeople a couple of times a week for the past month, Kristen. I want it to stop before those pranks get out of hand. Or before someone gets hurt.”

  Kristen opened the passenger door. “I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

  Though she started to get out, Alex caught her arm and said, “If you care about your brother, you’ll make the time.”

  Her pulse flitted through her at his touch, but she told herself it was because she was angry, not because she was attracted to him.

  “You should be looking for real criminals to arrest,” she told him, “not people who are simply guilty of being new in town.”

  With that, she jerked her arm free and stalked off.

  *

  “I DIDN’T EXPECT you back so quickly,” Aunt Margaret said when Kristen stormed into the house.

  Kristen’s irritation had escalated on the fifteen-minute walk home, but she put it in check for her aunt’s sake.

  Should she tell her or not?

  Kristen was tempted to share the police chief’s motives for getting her alone, but Aunt Margaret was so cheerful, she decided not to ruin her aunt’s mood. Still, Kristen was disturbed by what he’d told her. What if Brian was getting into trouble? She would keep their conversation to herself, but maybe she could find a way to probe her aunt for information without giving away Alex’s accusation.

  Kristen followed her into the kitchen. There, to her surprise, her brother and one of his friends sat at the island, the surface of which was littered with containers of leftovers, mostly empty now. The friend was scrawny, but his plate was full and he was chowing down like there was no tomorrow.

  “Oh, hi, Aunt Margaret. I hope you don’t mind that I invited Andy to lunch.”

  “Of course not. This is your home, too. Brian.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Becker,” the kid said through a mouthful of food.

  “Andy, this is my niece Kristen. Brian’s sister.”

  “Hmmph.” He acknowledged her with his mouth full.

  “Uh, we’re done now, though.” Brian slid off his stool and smacked Andy in the arm. “C’mon.”

  “You’re not done until you clean up after yourself,” Kristen said.

  “Oh, right.”

  Brian scooped all the empty containers together and dumped them on the counter, opened the dishwasher door and stacked them. His friend Andy continued to chomp on a piece of chicken. He kept his head down as he ate, didn’t look at anyone. Kristen gave him the once-over while Brian cleaned off the island. The kid was scrawny—how could someone so little eat
so much? His clothes were too big, as if he was wearing hand-me-downs. His shirt and cutoffs were threadbare, if clean.

  Pulling off a piece of paper towel from the roll, Brian handed it to Andy and said, “Let’s go to my room.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  Andy was a little weird, but he didn’t seem like a troublemaker. Still, Kristen couldn’t help worrying. Could Alex have been right about the boys? While Brian seemed fairly mature for his age, he wasn’t adult-level responsible. He did a good job at Sew Fine…when he was there.

  She turned to her aunt. “About Brian—”

  “Your brother is such a sweetheart!” Aunt Margaret beamed. “He needs a little prompting, but he truly has been the most wonderful and helpful companion since he moved in with me.”

  Thus ended the conversation about Brian possibly getting into trouble.

  Too bad Kristen couldn’t forget about it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  HE’D AWAKENED BEFORE DAWN.

  Alex had been tempted to take a hammer to his alarm clock until he suffered the next onslaught, an ambush by Spike, who suddenly realized it must be breakfast time. “Okay, okay,” he muttered, setting the big fluffy cat down on the floor. The stray he’d been feeding had moved in, fattened up, and decided who was boss.

  Groggily, Alex turned off the alarm and managed to sit up. He staggered out to the kitchen and fed Spike, then remembered why he’d set the alarm so early. He and Owen had made plans to go fishing with John McClintock, owner of McClintock Boat, Bait and Tackle. He’d better dress quickly.

  An hour later, there he was, travel mug filled with hot coffee in one hand, fishing rod in the other, sitting in one of John’s boats in the middle of the stocked lake. If they didn’t get too many small ones they’d have to throw back in, they would take their booty back to John’s store and cook fish over the grill on the patio for breakfast. It wasn’t the fishing in itself that attracted Alex, but the camaraderie with his friends in addition to spending some time in nature. They were in a beautiful setting, in the middle of the lake, with stands of trees between the mansions and businesses at the water’s edge. The lake’s clean, deep water made it perfect for sailing or swimming or waterskiing.